While Gardens defeated Boca Raton 10-0 in Thursday's regional quarterfinal to advance to Tuesday's semifinal against familiar foe Palm Beach Central, the Bulls' scheduled game last week against Santaluces was forfeited because of a lack of players.

"You're waiting and waiting. Everybody else is playing and we're just sitting back," Hoyt said. "It's the end of the year and you can only practice so much. The girls are anxious to play."

The Bulls (20-6) face Atlantic on Tuesday, the team it defeated 11-0 in the district championship. Hoyt said his players are confident, but not overly so.

"It's hard to beat anyone two or three times in a row," he said. "Everything changes. The ball bounces one way or you hit it right to somebody. You need the breaks no matter who you're playing."

West Boca got a bad break to start the season, when its top pitcher from the previous year decided not to play softball. But a pair of sophomore hurlers and a dominating defense stepped up.

"The [pitchers] are keeping the ball around the plate, and the defense is really strong," Hoyt said. "Everybody comes in, and they see us and think, 'We're going to beat this team' [because] our pitchers don't throw hard, [but] it's hard to score unless you're getting hits.

"This team, they're just putting their heads down. They're playing tough ball. They don't let anything happen. They make their minds up they want to win."

Jackson's Gators (20-8) have gone 3-1 against Central this season.

"We've seen them enough. They've seen us enough," he said. "It's going to come down to the team that plays the best, as always. It should be tight and competitive."

Freshman Bailey Whalen, part of a trio of freshmen pitchers that includes Kelsey Lay, will be back on the mound after pitching a no-hitter against Boca.

"It's been a total team effort," Jackson said. "They're playing pretty well right now. We'll see if they can continue to do that."

The Gators are also led by big-hitting right fielder Ta'Coia Williams, a senior, and the stellar defense of third baseman Sydney Jones, a junior. Freshmen Kaylin Kramer and sophomore Tiffany Lower have also come through in the clutch in recent games.

"They had to grow up to be able to compete, and I think they've done a good job of that," Jackson said. "They just need to focus and come out and play well. Sometimes young kids have a difficult time doing that on a consistent basis."